Kindergarten students are exposed to many different materials, including wood and paper. In school, students work with a variety of different types of paper, yet may not stop to study their properties in a systematic way. The Wood and Paper kit is an introduction to inquiry-based science. Students learn to observe properties and perform tests on wood and paper. They learn how wood and paper are made and what they are used for. Overall, students learn how to ask questions and perform tests to answer them; they learn to be scientists!
General Tips
Although all of the lessons in the kit are set up to be run as centers, they can be modified to be whole-class activities.
Restocking Notes
This kit contains almost everything needed, at least for the first two investigations. However, it would be useful to add to the inventory:
50 more paper plates
2 boxes of cornstarch (Investigation 2.3)
1 bottle of Elmer's Glue (Investigation 2.4)
Teachers may prepare extras of some materials that are either consumable or reusable. Please do not throw these away as it could save the next person to get the kit some significant time at the copy machine or paper cutter. These items may include:
"This is made of wood" labels (Investigation 1.1)
"This is made of paper" labels (Investigation 3.1)
4" by 4" squares of construction paper (Investigation 3.1)
4" by 4" squares of tissue (Investigation 3.1)
4" by 4" squares of paper towel (Investigation 3.1)
4" by 4" squares of waxed paper (Investigation 3.1)
Possible Lesson Plan
Since fellows only have ten days with students, we cannot possibly get through all the lessons. The following lesson plan gets you completely through the wood unit, but does not touch on the paper unit. Investigation 2 is more interesting than Investigation 1, so I wouldn't recommend skipping much of it. The teachers should be able to do the paper unit on their own. Here is a possible lesson plan for each day:
Fellow introduction and demo
Investigation 1.1
Investigation 1.2
Investigation 1.3
Investigation 1.4 (Skip Investigation 1.5)
Investigation 2.1 (Can be skipped if needed)
Investigation 2.2 (Can be skipped if needed)
Investigation 2.3
Investigation 2.4
Wrap-up on the wood unit. Do a fun day of demos. Try using heat-sensitive paper or goldenrod paper to tie your research (if you are a chemist) to the unit (the NSF likes this apparently).
The lesson plan I used for the school I was at a school that had 4 day weeks was as follows:
1. Investigation 1.1
2. Investigation 1.3
3. Investication 1.4/1.5 (sort of combined)
4. Investigation 2.4
5. Investigation 2.3
6. Investigation 3.2
7. Investigation 3.4
8. Investigation 4.1
Investigation 1: Getting to Know Wood
Investigation 1.1
Students explore the properties and learn the names of five different types of wood (redwood, basswood, pine, particleboard and plywood). They learn that different types of wood come from different types of trees and that some types (particleboard and plywood) are processed. Students go on a "wood hunt" around the classroom and learn that many useful objects are made out of wood.
Investigation 1.2
Students go on a "wood hunt" around the classroom and learn that many useful objects are made out of wood.
Investigation 1.3
Students place drops of water on wood, learning that water soaks into wood. The rate of the absorption of water depends on the type of wood, redwood allowing it to occur fastest and particleboard slowest. Pieces of wood are placed in basins of water and students learn that wood floats.
Investigation 1.4
Students find that attaching paper clips to pieces of wood cause them to sink. Different types of wood require a different number of paper clips to sink. Tips: Students will get very different results. Run a final experiment as a class to confirm the minimum number of paper clips needed.
Investigation 1.5
Extension of Investigation 1.4. Results can be graphed. Tips: Skip this lesson if you are trying to save time
Investigation 2: Changing Wood
Investigation 2.1
Students learn that sanding is one way to change the shape of wood. It also produces sawdust.
Investigation 2.2
Students explore sawdust and wood shavings. When placed in water, the sawdust and wood shavings become waterlogged and sink. Tips: Warn the students not to stir the water/wood mixture right away. If they do, they won't be able to observe how the wood initially floats and then sinks. They'll miss that smaller pieces become waterlogged faster than larger pieces.
Investigation 2.3
Students make sawdust wood (particleboard) by mixing sawdust, wood shavings, and a cornstarch matrix. Tips: The cornstarch matrix is easy to make, but must be made in advance. One box of cornstarch makes enough for ~50 students. Also, be sure to store it in the fridge or it will get really stinky!
Investigation 2.4
Students make sandwich wood (plywood) by gluing small pieces of wood together. Tips: If you do this as a whole class activity instead of a center (as suggested in the book), you may need to give the students more direction than suggested in the teacher's manual.
Investigation 3: Getting to Know Paper
Investigation 3.1: Paper Hunt
Students explore the properties of ten types of paper. They go on a paper hunt and label items in the classroom that are made of paper (similar to Investigation 1.2). Tips: The kit may not contain the 4"x4" pieces of waxed paper, tissue, paper towel, and white construction paper, requiring some prep. Photocopies of the "This is made of paper" labels must be made in advance.
Investigation 3.1: Writing and Drawing on Paper
Students explore the properties of paper by writing and drawing on it.
Investigation 3.3: Folding Paper
Students compare the properties of paper by folding it.
Investigation 3.4: Paper and Water
Students explore what happens when paper and water come in contact with one another.
Wood and Paper
Kindergarten students are exposed to many different materials, including wood and paper. In school, students work with a variety of different types of paper, yet may not stop to study their properties in a systematic way. The Wood and Paper kit is an introduction to inquiry-based science. Students learn to observe properties and perform tests on wood and paper. They learn how wood and paper are made and what they are used for. Overall, students learn how to ask questions and perform tests to answer them; they learn to be scientists!
General Tips
Although all of the lessons in the kit are set up to be run as centers, they can be modified to be whole-class activities.
Restocking Notes
This kit contains almost everything needed, at least for the first two investigations. However, it would be useful to add to the inventory:
- 50 more paper plates
- 2 boxes of cornstarch (Investigation 2.3)
- 1 bottle of Elmer's Glue (Investigation 2.4)
Teachers may prepare extras of some materials that are either consumable or reusable. Please do not throw these away as it could save the next person to get the kit some significant time at the copy machine or paper cutter. These items may include:Possible Lesson Plan
Since fellows only have ten days with students, we cannot possibly get through all the lessons. The following lesson plan gets you completely through the wood unit, but does not touch on the paper unit. Investigation 2 is more interesting than Investigation 1, so I wouldn't recommend skipping much of it. The teachers should be able to do the paper unit on their own. Here is a possible lesson plan for each day:
The lesson plan I used for the school I was at a school that had 4 day weeks was as follows:
1. Investigation 1.1
2. Investigation 1.3
3. Investication 1.4/1.5 (sort of combined)
4. Investigation 2.4
5. Investigation 2.3
6. Investigation 3.2
7. Investigation 3.4
8. Investigation 4.1
Investigation 1: Getting to Know Wood
Investigation 1.1
Students explore the properties and learn the names of five different types of wood (redwood, basswood, pine, particleboard and plywood). They learn that different types of wood come from different types of trees and that some types (particleboard and plywood) are processed. Students go on a "wood hunt" around the classroom and learn that many useful objects are made out of wood.Investigation 1.2
Students go on a "wood hunt" around the classroom and learn that many useful objects are made out of wood.Investigation 1.3
Students place drops of water on wood, learning that water soaks into wood. The rate of the absorption of water depends on the type of wood, redwood allowing it to occur fastest and particleboard slowest. Pieces of wood are placed in basins of water and students learn that wood floats.Investigation 1.4
Students find that attaching paper clips to pieces of wood cause them to sink. Different types of wood require a different number of paper clips to sink.Tips: Students will get very different results. Run a final experiment as a class to confirm the minimum number of paper clips needed.
Investigation 1.5
Extension of Investigation 1.4. Results can be graphed.Tips: Skip this lesson if you are trying to save time
Investigation 2: Changing Wood
Investigation 2.1
Students learn that sanding is one way to change the shape of wood. It also produces sawdust.Investigation 2.2
Students explore sawdust and wood shavings. When placed in water, the sawdust and wood shavings become waterlogged and sink.Tips: Warn the students not to stir the water/wood mixture right away. If they do, they won't be able to observe how the wood initially floats and then sinks. They'll miss that smaller pieces become waterlogged faster than larger pieces.
Investigation 2.3
Students make sawdust wood (particleboard) by mixing sawdust, wood shavings, and a cornstarch matrix.Tips: The cornstarch matrix is easy to make, but must be made in advance. One box of cornstarch makes enough for ~50 students. Also, be sure to store it in the fridge or it will get really stinky!
Investigation 2.4
Students make sandwich wood (plywood) by gluing small pieces of wood together.Tips: If you do this as a whole class activity instead of a center (as suggested in the book), you may need to give the students more direction than suggested in the teacher's manual.
Investigation 3: Getting to Know Paper
Investigation 3.1: Paper Hunt
Students explore the properties of ten types of paper. They go on a paper hunt and label items in the classroom that are made of paper (similar to Investigation 1.2).Tips: The kit may not contain the 4"x4" pieces of waxed paper, tissue, paper towel, and white construction paper, requiring some prep. Photocopies of the "This is made of paper" labels must be made in advance.
Investigation 3.1: Writing and Drawing on Paper
Students explore the properties of paper by writing and drawing on it.Investigation 3.3: Folding Paper
Students compare the properties of paper by folding it.Investigation 3.4: Paper and Water
Students explore what happens when paper and water come in contact with one another.Investigation 4: Changing Paper
Investigation 5: Constructions